Are You Measuring Up to Your Board?

In the first instalment of this series, I shared with you the immense value of enterprise governance as a performance enhancement tool for SMEs and privately-held companies, and how it grows your bottom line.

The board of an enterprise is responsible for ensuring that the chief executive is held accountable for his or her own performance and for the enterprise as a whole.

If you are the chief executive and founder of the business or a shareholder-manager of your company, this can be a confronting idea. How should a board define what performance means for the enterprise? What process should they follow? The fundamental overriding principle is that you should be performance managed like any other employee.

A board is responsible for the performance management framework of the enterprise, and the chief executive’s performance is but one part. This framework should specifically address the following aspects:

1. A clearly defined position description for the role of chief executive

Even though you may have founded the business or are a shareholder-manager, unless you spell out what you are responsible for, you will not easily determine the areas you need to pay attention to. This is more likely in areas that you avoid or that require development, such as financial analysis or team development.

2. A remuneration package that includes a performance-based element

It’s easy to justify your dividend (if you get one) as a performance reward. It’s not. If a significant portion of your remuneration or bonus is linked to performance, you will undoubtedly deliver a higher level of value.

3. Personal and organisational performance KPIs

The enterprise’s strategic objectives should drive and define your KPIs. This ties the company’s performance to yours.

4. A formalised performance review process

If there is no performance process in place, identify some key organisational performance metrics to start. Twice a year, the chairman should review your performance against those measures – the first engagement to review performance and set targets and the second as an interim review.

5. Informal and regular reviews with the chairman

At least once a month there should be some form of engagement between chairman and chief executive, supported by a standard agenda that provides focus and structure, even if the meeting is less formal than a board meeting.

6. Coaching and support on areas of development

This is not ad hoc activities determined throughout the year, but a planned focus on your own development, linked to specific areas, such as the strategic focus of the enterprise or industry, governance, management and strategy expertise.

7. A succession plan, even if it is a long-term plan

The biggest failing of business founders is to build a business that cannot be sold or leveraged without them. This aspect of the framework, driven by the board, is critical to shift the risk of this dependency and unlock true value.

A board should not attempt to have all these pieces of the puzzle in place from the get-go. The implementation of governance, including chief executive performance management, is a step-by-step and structured process, based on the business’s priorities.

Directors must determine what is critical at that point in time and what will deliver the greatest value to the enterprise and its stakeholders.

As an independent chairman, I have found that observation changes behaviour. The board’s role is to provide a fair approach to chief executive performance management that also creates accountability. Just observing performance in a structured way will already steer the company towards greater performance as a whole, and better profits as a result.

Carl Bates is a global entrepreneur, speaker, author, mentor and director. Currently based in South Africa, he is a dynamic entrepreneur from New Zealand who guides small to medium businesses to achieve Extreme Business Success.

Excellent Performance Management Supports Great Character

“We have little power to choose what happens, but we have complete power over how we respond.”

– Ariana Huffington, Thrive

Good character feels right

Having good character simply feels right. You will sense when you encounter it in an organisation or an individual. On the flip side, you will want to run away if you experience its polar opposite being allowed to run rife.

The fruit of “good character” in the organisational context includes: Sincerely serving colleagues, customers and suppliers. Ethical leadership. Showing integrity while performing tasks. It is reflected in something as “small” as looking after company resources.

Personally: Do you take stationary home? Is that stealing? Do you habitually leave 10 minutes earlier, or come late?

Organisationally: Do we commit to the promises we make our customers? Do we remunerate our employees fairly, or do we sweat our assets to get more work for less pay?

Good character is tested during turbulent times.

Will the company turn a blind eye when confronted with situations that require neglecting good principles for the sake of making money or closing a deal?

It is then when we see who stands firm in their values, good principles, and beliefs.

The benefits of excellent character

No one or no business is perfect. Building character is a lifelong process.

Benefits of excellent organisational character include: Attracting better leaders and talent, making better decisions, having happy and engaged employees who will take less energy to manage, but instead will add energy to the business.

Customers will sense this. Strategic partnerships will be formed. The business will also attract suppliers that share the same character.

Other intrinsic benefits include: Being responsible stewards, and understanding why the organisation exists, what it contributes towards, and is part of.

Making a sizeable profit is great, and a responsibility towards shareholders. How you make that profit, and what you do with it (how you spend it), is what defines “who” the organisation is, reflecting its character.

Obstacles to excellent organisational character

Warren Buffet said: “It takes 20 years to build a reputation, and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”

I want to be able to say that I display great character all the time, but I can’t. I wrestle with it, and I am tested in various areas daily. But I try. I review my actions and motives through discussions with individuals, in internal meetings, and in conversations with clients. I often need to face the facts that in some areas I may have acted inappropriately. This is not about work only, but about life, which makes it a weightier responsibility. Being confronted with the standards of having good character is sometimes the biggest obstacle you face.

From an HR viewpoint organisations will face obstacles in various areas: Ensuring that goals are reasonable. Ensuring that employees and managers act with integrity, and are held accountable for their actions. Also, recruiting the correct fit within the job and culture and not just recruiting the quickest available candidate who might actually not fit the culture profile.

When we see re-occurring patterns of moral “red flags” we should act accordingly to protect our business from the harmful repercussions of having “a little leaven ruin the whole lump”. Flags like unfaithfulness, malicious jealousy, destructive selfish ambitions, dissensions, and outbursts of rage, sabotaging envy, and addictions.

Setting the boundaries and letting employees and managers know through leaderships’ example what it means to act with good character brings security, and will contribute to a happy and productive workforce.

Sometimes performance management is inappropriately used by managers as merely a tool to discipline, or just done as a “box-ticking” exercise. This is not the approach we recommend.

The Imenent approach is geared towards creating a culture where the employee and manager can honestly dialogue about the real progress of a function or task. The majority of empowered employees are generally able to fulfill well-defined functions. It is when things go wrong that a manager needs to be made aware of it quickly so that they can work together as a team to understand what happened, and what the solution is.

Our system is a voice for both the employee and the manager, supporting both parties with tools and advise.

We believe that this open relational approach to performance management is an enabler of great organisational character.

To conclude with another Ariana Huffington quote: “It all starts with setting the expectations that make it clear that no matter how much hardship we encounter – how much pain and loss, dishonesty, ingratitude, unfairness, and jealousy – we can still choose peace and imperturbability.”

The Role Of Employers In Skills Development

Recruiting talent in today’s working environment has certainly changed for the better. With the new B-BBEE compliance and Skills Development Act regulations, it has now become possible for business owners to make an impact by employing unskilled individuals and training them up to be valuable workplace assets. In such a competitive working environment, investing in one of the many skills programmes can benefit your human capitalmore than any impulse hire could.

From UIF to skills development levies and more, business owners need to be up-to-date with the latest labour law requirements as they are directly responsible for the growth and progress of their staff. Employer-endorsed skills development plays an important role in the future of your business. This, unfortunately, has made many employers shy away from skills development because they fear that investing in skills may result in employees leaving. While that certainly can be a reality, the Skills Development Act encourages businesses to invest in training to help contribute to society, and to generally increase their business opportunities with international and local companies.

Here are a few reasons why you should invest in skills development for your employees:

Attracts and retains valuable employees

Beyond the skills shortage in South Africa, employee retention is a major challenge for employers. While the hiring process might be easy, it becomes an unnecessary expense for business owners when positions aren’t fulfilled according to plan. Knowing that you can rely on your employees is both a benefit to you and the employee themselves.

Skills development programmes do not only build loyalty, increase your BBBEE scorecard rating and create a strong workforce, but it gives your business a good reputation. A company which invests in human capital creates new opportunities within and outside the company.

Helps you create promotable employees

Taking the time to upskill employees means that you’re making an effort to support them professionally, as well as contributing to the economy at large. By implementing skills development training in your business, you’re creating a capable workforce and giving them the tools they need to excel.

Employees become engaged at work

Employees who don’t feel appreciated or cared for are the ones who tend to come and go. When you provide them with an opportunity to learn and grow, you’re allowing them to challenge themselves. Most unskilled employees can’t afford tertiary education, so when you give your employees the help they need, they’re more likely to become loyal, motivated and value-adding employees.

Helps you save and earn money

When your company partners with a company like Proud Afrique, according to Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) regulations, there are many ways in which your business can save money. One of the most beneficial ways is through tax claims.

There will also no longer be a need to hire and recruit talent as often because learning programmes will give your business the chance to build up a pool of trustworthy, willing employees who could, potentially, add value to your company in the long-run. Not to mention, a trained workforce contributes to a higher productivity and output level in the office.

Creates a forward-thinking mindset

Employee development is forever changing. Something that worked well this year might not work well next year. But the exciting thing is that your team will be up-to-date with the latest trends and innovations. Over time, you will be able to adjust your plan according to the employee and industry’s needs. While it might seem intimidating for employers, it means that you’ll constantly need to think ahead and try new ideas. This type of forward-thinking can also spark many valuable relationships.

Final words

Contributing to human capital development in South Africa will give your business the opportunity to grow, regardless of economic conditions. B-BBEE training offers countless advantages which will help you learn the process, the benefits and the goals of being B-BBEE compliant. Employment should be more than simply having a job or receiving a paycheque every month. A skills development training option is there to help your employees change their lives.

What is productivity?

When pondering the answer to a very important question it proves often to be a good tactic to first think on what a concept is not. Productivity is not appearing to be busy.

Productivity is not spending most of your time actually being very busy, but busy with things that propel you forward on the journey towards great achievements and making your vision a reality.

Productivity is simply to produce results. Results that leaps towards your end goals and ultimate vision. Trying is not an option, doing the right things in the right way so that they produce results is the only option, that is, if you really want to build a legendary company.

The ground-breaking difference between effectiveness and efficiency

Efficiency means to do the right thing. It is the right thing to do in business to give quality service, right? So what if doing the right thing does not produce results?

Effectiveness on the other hand is doing the right thing in the right way so that it produces results.

Quality service given in the right way so that we obtain actual referrals and the client comes back for repeat business is an example of effectiveness.

What must you be busy with?

The Pareto principle applies but in overdrive. Really hone in on the 20% of things to do that really brings home the profits, the purpose of the business, and brings joy to customers and team members.

Yes only 20% of your activity as an entrepreneur (roughly on average) brings in the true results, the other 80% of your activity is pure fluff.

Entrepreneurs often revert to what they like doing as opposed to what they actually need to do to be a success. Business growth and productivity is not a game of meandering between the options of dislikes and likes , but instead, taking action on what needs to be done to reach goals whether I personally always like it or not.

Be busy with what works in relation to producing the desired results. If you do not know what actually does work, be busy in terms of researching what needs to be done to produce results.

BE EFFECTIVE.

Get the right people on the bus

Another critical question to answer is: Who must be busy doing the right things in the right way to produce results?

Well only the people who really want to be successful and are willing to pay the price of disciplined and purposeful action will sustainably be effective anyway.

Hire people that authentically believe in your business’ purpose. Hire people that love what they do and already are highly skilled, or alternatively will put in the required work to become very skilful. Remove toxic behaviour from your business by either coaching towards excellence or firing for misaligned behaviours.

Lead by example

Do not expect productivity in the true sense of the word, from your employees if you as an entrepreneur is not the living example of the results producing behaviour that you require from your team. Inspire your team, not only by producing excellent results, but by doing it in a creative, purposeful and joyful way.

As Mahatma Gandhi said: “Be the change that you want to see in this world.” Do not simply demand it, be it first.

“Slay the holy cows”

Most businesses have ‘holy cows’. That means things that do not necessarily produce any results, or even produce very negative results, but the team keeps on doing those things because:

A troublesome example is the ‘meeting holy cow’. Some people just love the sound of their own voices and will carry on speaking for hours upon hours within meetings, which usually then leads to little or no action. A meeting is usually just talking whilst only action can really produce results.

‘Slaying the meeting holy cow’ does not mean we stop having meetings. We simply change the way we do them so that they become effective. By having shorter, very concise meetings, that are actionable, measurable, and results driven we have ‘slayed the meeting holy cow’.

Next steps

Productivity is producing results that continuously move you forward on the journey towards attaining your vision. Be busy with the 20% of activity that produces the real and tangible results that you want for your business. Be willing to ‘slay the holy cows’ that take up time unnecessarily and that do not produce the desired results.